[h=2]QATAR 2022[/h] [h=1]France Football: Villar, Rosell and Florentino helped Qatar[/h] [h=3]The magazine says that Spain played a key role in exchanging votes and gaining the backing of Latin American countries for the Arab state[/h]
An alliance with Spain, which in particular implicates Barcelona and Real Madrid, especially their presidents Sandro Rosell and Florentino Pérez, in addition to the federation, was one of the foundations that allowed Qatar to obtain the support of so many Latin American countries, and allowed them to attain candidate status to obtain the 2022 World Cup, according to the publication France Football.
The French magazine also says that the president of the Spanish Federation, Angel María Villar was "at the centre of the negotiations" with Qatar, which was struck as a deal for them to back Spain 2018.
Another two of the grand participants in the alliance that was designed to "guarantee the economic interests of them and the others" was the ex-president of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell, and the current president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, with both of their clubs implicated at different levels, according to the publication.
"The undercover contact with the two grand Spanish footballing institutions opened the door to a game that would allow Villar to vote for the Emirate state, and use his own network to obtain support from Latin American countries", says the magazine about the formalising of the arrangement. They say it came to pass in February 2010 with a meeting in Barcelona between the president of the Spanish Federation and Tariq al-Naama, the vice-president of Aspire Academy.
The article goes on to say that Mallorca-born businessman Jaume Fluxa Morro had "a key role", linking Qatar to the others through the company Al Jabe, whilst Carles Vilarrubi helped them meet key figures at Barcelona.
Apparently Fluxa organised a trip for a delegation from Qatar to Madrid in 2009, where the met with representatives of Real Madrid, including president Florentino Pérez, José Angel Sánchez, Julio González Tojo, Emilio Butragueño and Iván Bravo.
According to France Football, these interviews allowed the chief of the Qatari committee, Hassan al Thawadi, to arrange with Villar an "exchanging of votes, but only country for country".
They add that Barcelona "had excellent reasons to support the Qataris", but that Rosell also benefitted himself via his business BSM (Bonus Sports Marketing) and Aspire in 2008.
With regards to Real Madrid, it is noted that Florentino Pérez is the president of construction firm ACS, and amongst its major shareholders is Iberostar, a company founded by Fluxa, and that since June 2011 has been controlled by German company Hochtiefm who have a number of large contracts to do with the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
"Beyond the accusations of complicity, even more than a football competition, the 2022 World Cup is an economic interest for both nations" concludes the magazine, who Real Madrid have told they have nothing to do with the World Cup.
